As people of faith, we believe that prayer is vital in bringing about change in our world and ourselves.
“By prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Philippians 4:6
Hope For Creation is not a prescriptive day. We don’t have to all respond the same way, or have the exact same ideas and beliefs about climate change for us to pray together. We know that the body of Christ is rich in diversity. Our aim is to mobilise Christians to pray for the great challenges of our world in a way that unites us but allows for diverse responses.
That said, we recognise that various people would appreciate some structure and guidance in how to pray about these issues. As a result, we have provided the following suggested prayers for your use. You may use these pre-written prayers on November 6th in your church, group meeting or your own personal prayer time.
Download (PDF 78KB): A Prayer of Thanks and Hope
Download (PDF 74KB): A Prayer of Confession and Change
You may wish to read these prayers aloud together as a congregation, or have one person pray on behalf of the group.
We have also created a prayer station resource, that could involve people of all ages (352KB): All Age Worship Resource
More prayers
A prayer from Micah Challenge Australia:
Creator God,
We thank you for the beauty of your Creation,
and for giving us the privilege of caring for it.
We confess that we have not cared for the earth
with the self-sacrificing and nurturing love that you require of us.
We mourn the broken relationships in creation.
We repent for our part in causing the current environmental crisis that has led to climate change.
Faithful God, sustainer of all – we pray with hope,
because you are already at work through Christ to reconcile all of creation to Yourself and to renew all things.
Loving God, help us to turn our lives around to be people of restoration.
Help us build just relationships among human beings and with the rest of creation.
Help us to live sustainably, rejecting consumerism and the exploitation of creation.
God of justice, give us courage and persistence to work for justice
for those most affected by environmental degradation and climate change.
God of mercy, hear the cry of the poor who are already suffering
and will continue to suffer water and food shortages
and who will be displaced by climate change.
God of all wisdom, give wisdom to the leaders of the world’s nations.
Let them work together for a global agreement to tackle climate change.
Give them the determination to find a just solution that protects the people who are most vulnerable in our world, and protects creation.
Creator God, give us your Spirit to work together to restore your creation
and to hand on a safe environment and climate to our children and theirs.
Let our care for creation be our act of worship and obedience to you.
Your kingdom come, and your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Amen.
A prayer from Christian Aid UK:
Christ our Lord,
when we remember the sacrifice you made for the world,
remind us that we are called to care for the world and its people,
and challenge us to see how our actions change the world.
Be with us as we act to make a difference.
Christ, whom we remember in the bread,
remind us of those who are hungry,
and challenge to us to see how our actions change the world.
Christ, whom we remember in the wine,
remind us of those who are thirsty,
and challenge us to see how our actions change the world.
Christ, as we remember your perfect sacrifice,
inspire us to follow your example
and to work with you to restore a broken world.
Motivate us to take action,
and grant wisdom and courage to the world’s leaders
that they can negotiate a fair deal for the world’s poor.
Remind us that you are with us,
and that when we live lives of service,
we live them in your name.
Amen
